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Pictured: Anthony Brown (senior), Mattie Akom (junior), Hanna Sauve (junior) and Ben Kamili (senior)
On the pilot night of the Walking Comets, the walkers sit in the student center awaiting calls from students.
Picture Credit: Brielle Broderick
Walking Comets is a new student run organization at The University of Olivet that allows students the option of being escorted back to their dorm room or apartment on Tuesday nights from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“We get a call or a text with their name and where they are at and two walkers will go and pick them up and walk them home,” said junior Hanna Sauve, one of the walkers.
“[We’re] just making sure they get to the place they told us they are going to get to,” said senior and walker Anthony Brown.
Junior Mattie Akom is the Co-Director of Marketing and a member of the board of directors for the Walking Comets. “It was created because it was brought to the [Sociology and Anthropology] seminar’s attention that a lot of students felt unsafe especially at night because of the lack of lighting on campus and so we thought this program would be a great way to start addressing the issue,” Akom said. “It’s trying to resolve the problem of students feeling unsafe on campus. We did a campus wide survey last semester, and it showed that 50% of students do not feel safe after dark.”
"Our goal is to open it up to more nights and times,” said Jadyn Richmond, a junior and the president of the Walking Comets. “It’s not only for people who are out partying.”
Tuesday, March 26, the Walking Comets will be available again to walk students home, as well as offering another opportunity.
“We will have a pizza raffle, so every number that calls will be put into a raffle, and whoever wins will be given a Hungry Howie's gift card or gift certificate,” Richmond said.
The Walking Comets are on Instagram @uowalkingcomets and are available to take calls and texts on Tuesday nights from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at (313)-364-9319.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a walker, reach out to Hanna Sauve at Hsauve@uolivet.edu for more information.